Lakeview Christian Center School of the Word Series: “How to Read the Bible” Pastor Evan May Part 2 – February 2, 2014 Reading with an Ear for the Story Luke 24 Exodus 17; Genesis 38; Judges 4 Intro • The human experience is a storied existence. “Anyone who has had Bible stories read to him as a child knows that there are great stories in the Bible. But it is possible to know Bible stories, yet miss the Bible story.” –Edmund Clowney , The Unfolding Mystery: Discovering Christ in the Old Testament, 11 • The Bible has one over-arching theme, one unfolding drama that is sustained from Genesis through Revelation. Marbles in a bag vs. Threads in a tapestry Redemptive history History matters • Biblical Christianity is not merely a set of ethical principles. It’s about God doing something in history. “If religion be made independent of history there is no such thing as a gospel. For ‘gospel’ means ‘good news,’ tidings, information about something that has happened. A gospel independent of history is a contradiction in terms.” –J. Gresham Machen , Christianity and Liberalism, 121 5 Lakeview Christian Center School of the Word Series: “How to Read the Bible” Pastor Evan May The redemptive character of history • History is not a collection of neutral facts. • The story of redemptive history: Abraham, Moses, David, Christ. “God is bringing His people into His place under His rule” –Graeme Goldsworthy What—or Who—the entire Bible is about Luke 24:25-47 The Scope The Content • Jesus is the topic of Scripture. Christ in the Old Testament 2 Timothy 3:15; Galatians 3:8; 1 Peter 1:10 The Old Testament speaks about Christ in three ways: o Text disclosure – direct reference to Christ or his work (Isaiah 53; Zechariah 9:9) o Type disclosure – symbols in O.T. that foreshadow N.T. truths about Christ (Hosea 2:15) o Context disclosure – man’s fallen condition and God’s merciful posture 6 Lakeview Christian Center School of the Word Series: “How to Read the Bible” Pastor Evan May Exodus 17—Rock of Ages Cleft for Me Exodus 17:1-7 • “Massah” and “Meribah”—filing suit against God • The staff of Moses, the rod of judgment • God “before” Moses, “on” the rock “The Sign of Jonah” by Gunter Rutenborn 1 Corinthians 10:3 John 7:37-38 Genesis 38—Where sin increases, grace hyper-increases Genesis 38:13-19 • Words that ring: “examine these” • Perez and the tenacity of God’s grace Genesis 49:10 Revelation 5:5 Matthew 1:3 7 Lakeview Christian Center School of the Word Series: “How to Read the Bible” Pastor Evan May • The Romans 5:20 principle… “God is a Redeemer. He takes brokenness and brings it to wholeness. He turns sorrow into joy. He longs to do such works of ‘juxtaposing’ for His children. What are the areas in your life where you long to see God do such a great work?” –Warren Gage & Christopher Barber , The Story of Joseph and Judah, 49 Judges 4—Crushing the head of the Serpent • The Judges pattern: forgetting God, taken captive, crying out, being rescued Judges 4:12-22 • The text commends Jael (5:24) and declares the actions of the day to be the Lord’s doing (4:9, 14, 23). “Sisera’s stiff corpse is a blessed assurance—that’s how all of Yahweh’s enemies will perish.” –Dale Ralph Davis , The Word Became Fresh: How to Preach from Old Testament Narrative Texts, 74. • At every point in history God’s people have those who terrorize them, but God is always postured to protect them. • Jesus did not drive a tent peg into the head of Sisera, but he did crush the head of the Serpent on the cross (Genesis 3:15). 8 .